T20 World Cup 2024: 3 key players to watch out for from West Indies 

The ninth edition of the T20 World Cup is just around the corner, and fans are eagerly anticipating the performance of the two-time champions, West Indies. As one of the hosts, the West Indies excel in this format, bringing excitement and entertainment to the game, often delivering surprising outcomes in such tournaments.

The host are placed in Group C of the T20 World Cup 2024 and will compete against New Zealand, Afghanistan, Uganda, and Papua New Guinea. While they are expected to advance past the group stage alongside New Zealand, it will be intriguing to see how far they can go and if they can secure their third title. The West Indies will kick off their campaign against Papua New Guinea on June 2. Let us look at top three players who will represent West Indies; 

Also Read: T20 World Cup 2024: The Associate Members & their captains 

Nicolas Pooran 

West Indies’ perennial power-hitter Nicholas Pooran wrapped up his IPL 2024 campaign with nearly 500 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 178.21. Despite a brief lean patch in the middle of the tournament, Pooran’s impressive performances towards the end, including a 26-ball 48* against SRH, a 27-ball 61 against the Capitals, and a match-winning 29-ball 75 against the Mumbai Indians, marked his spectacular return to form just in time for the West Indies’ 2024 T20 World Cup quest.

With over 300 T20 matches under his belt, including 88 internationals, Nicholas Pooran’s extensive limited-overs experience is set to be invaluable for the West Indies, particularly on the familiar surfaces of Trinidad’s Brian Lara Cricket Academy. Additionally, the 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batter is among the few players in the 2024 T20 World Cup familiar with the playing surfaces in the USA, thanks to his MLC commitments. 

Andre Russell 

Andre Russell, a two-time T20 World Cup champion for the West Indies, brings a formidable presence to the game’s shortest format. The broad-shouldered Jamaican boasts experience in nearly 500 T20 matches, amassing over 8,000 runs at a strike rate of 169.80 and claiming nearly 450 wickets at an impressive average of 25.32. 

In the IPL 2024 league stage for the KKR franchise, Russell showcased his remarkable all-round skills. Over nine matches, he hammered 222 runs at a strike rate of 185 and took 15 wickets in 13 bowling innings. His exceptional performance was a key factor behind KKR’s first-place finish in the points table. Russell’s relentless pursuit of T20 glory, coupled with his reputation and recent form, makes him one of the West Indies’ top contenders to shine at the 2024 T20 World Cup on home soil. 

Rovman Powell 

Fast-tracked into the role of West Indies’ T20I captain after the disappointing 2022 campaign in Australia, Rovman Powell led his team to memorable series victories against South Africa, India, and England within a span of 12 months. Although Powell’s winning streak was interrupted in Australia this February with a 1-2 defeat, his team delivered a memorable fight in the high-scoring series opener and decisively defeated the hosts in the final match. 

As a batter, the hard-hitting Jamaican has scored over 1,300 runs at a strike rate of 144.81 in 61 international innings and nearly 4,000 runs in all T20 matches, with 16 fifty-plus scores. Powell’s affinity for big hits and sixes is evident in his boundary statistics, which feature more maximums than fours across all T20s.